GROSSE POINTE SHORES, Mich. — On a rainy and chilly day at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., the Eyes on Design Car Show went on—-rain or shine. Automobile designers still continue to play a vital part of the global automotive industry, and because of them, we celebrate their work today.
The automotive design exhibition featured designs from around the world. Countries that were represented included vehicles from Germany, Sweden, Britain, Italy, France, Japan and of course, America. The different countries were grouped by vehicle type (luxury, sport, functional) for design comparison.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Gorrell from Burlington, Iowa who had an interesting vehicle. It was a 1941 Crosley Station Wagon. The vehicle has two cylinders pointing out in each direction with 12 horsepower and a three-speed transmission. It gets 50 mpg and uses regular unleaded gas.
“The woody is the rarest part of the vehicle which was bought in basic pieces in New York. I then saw a picture, then made it according to the picture,” says Gorrell.
“I have the world’s largest collection of Crosley’s. I have every year, every color, every body style ever made. I have a total of fifty cars which includes nine prototypes of the Crosley cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and jeeps. I restore one vehicle a year. This particular Crosley has a padded-top vinyl roof on the exterior and wood on the roof on the interior,” added Gorrell.
The 2019 Eyes on Design Poster artist was Jim Dietz. He likes to achieve historical facts, romance, adventure and color of fiction into his portraits.
The 2019 Lifetime Design Achievement Award winner went to Leonardo Fioravanti for his design on the Ferrari. It was presented to him at the Black Tie Gala on Friday. His designs has given the Ferrari the famous well-known reputation for world class beauty and iconic styling.
Other award recipients included:
- 2019 Honorary Chairman: Bill Chapin, Grosse Pointe, MI
- 2019 Grand Marshals: Jeff Cauley, Founder/Owner/General Manager, Cauley Ferrari; and Joe Cauley, Sales Manager, Cauley Ferrari
- 2019 Preserving the Vision Award Recipient: Steve Plunkett, London, Ontario, Canada.
Due to the inclement weather this year, some of the cars were covered up. Some cars didn’t show up at all. The grounds were wet and muddy. But the die-hard car enthusiasts were still able to see the cars that were there. Let’s hope that next year’s show will bring us better weather.
For more information about the EyesOn Design car show, visit http://www.eyesondesign.org/carshow.
(Jerome Rzucidlo/AmericaJR)
(Jerome Rzucidlo/AmericaJR)
(Jerome Rzucidlo/AmericaJR)
(Jerome Rzucidlo/AmericaJR)
(Jerome Rzucidlo/AmericaJR)
Stay tuned for more great photos from the 2019 EyesOn Design car show…